McKenzie falls to Brantley

BY SHEA ODOM

The Greenville Standard

 

The McKenzie Tigers welcomed the Brantley Bulldogs to Williams-Vickery Field under the Friday night lights for an exciting night of high school football.

The field was packed with action and the stands full of cheer. The Tigers fought hard for victory, but just fell short with a 30-28 loss to the Bulldogs.

McKenzie kicked off in the beginning of a fast paced game and Brantley hit the grass running to the red zone.

The Tiger defense was ready as Skylar Sanders snatched an early interception for the Tigers with 10:33 on the clock in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, McKenzie was unable to capitalize on the turnover and Brantley regained possession of the ball.

The Bulldogs scrapped for the end zone twice before the Tigers and led 12-0 in the first quarter.

McKenzie Tiger Quay Jackson was quick on his feet and lit the scoreboard for McKenzie, scoring the first and second touchdown. The first half buzzer sounded with Brantley leading 24-13.

The Tigers made adjustments during halftime and came back fired up for the second half.

The defense played aggressive and hard fought for the next two quarters stopping the Bulldog offense play after play.

Rand Odom, Ethan Johnson, and Sanders were hot with tackles for the evening.

Jackson led with eight receptions, 90 total yards, and two touchdowns. Sanders had four receptions, 76 yards, and one touchdown. Clayton Martin had six receptions, 31 yards, and one touchdown.

Head coach Brian Bradford said, “I thought our guys played very hard last night. We left everything on the field and just ran out of time at the end.

“Brantley has a very good football team so it was a very good measuring stick to see where we are at as program and where we need to go from here.”

The Tigers will travel to Pleasant Home this Friday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff.